Detective Sherlock Holmes and his stalwart partner Watson engage in a battle of wits and brawn with a nemesis whose plot is a threat to all of England.
Guy Ritchie is certainly an over-the-top auteur but he has a knack for comedic timing and some thrilling action. Here he reinvents the iconic sleuth with ingredients of some slapstick humor and the abilities of an ass-kicking borderline superhero. Released right on the heels of “Iron Man,” “Sherlock Holmes,” for better or for worse, marked the beginning of Robert Downey Jr.’s franchise takeovers. I think Downey Jr. is a bit oversaturated but there’s no denying his charisma in films like “Tropic Thunder” and his many Marvel outings. That being said, there’s no Holmes without a Watson, and Jude Law is fantastic as his colleague/man-crush. Watson is an Afghan War Vet (man that country has been invaded quite a lot) whose medical expertise compliment Sherlock’s principles of detection. The two are perfectly cast and contain some undeniable chemistry.
The plot is set in motion when Holmes and Watson sabotage a deadly ritual led by the film’s mysterious antagonist, Lord Blackwood (Mark Strong). The ceremony involves a young woman laid on an opulent slab surrounded by several people clad in dark robes absconding their faces. The group is led by a man chanting some ancient dead-language and before he can sacrifice the helpless girl, the two partners enter like gangbusters, breaking up the party. Lord Blackwood dabbles in the dark arts that seem to be an amalgamation of Masonic context and the infamous practices of Aleister Crowley. While under arrest in his prison cell, Blackwood tells Holmes, “death is only the beginning.”
Later that night, Watson introduces his fiancée Mary (Kelly Reilly) to Sherlock over dinner. Mary makes the mistake of asking Holmes to analyze her using his keen skills of observation and the dinner ends abruptly. The importance of this scene showcases not only the love affair between the two men but also Sherlock’s lack of social awareness. There’s a lot of hints that he’s possibly on the spectrum, able to perceive things on a higher level but socially awkward or incapable of empathy. After the meal, Sherlock is engaging in a grimy bare-knuckle boxing match while the incredible Irish ballad “The Rocky Road to Dublin” plays in the background. It’s a perfect track choice to compliment Hans Zimmer’s string-centric composition. Also, I’m constantly astounded by Zimmer’s prolific body of work that gets more innovative by the project. The other perfect element of this scene is presenting Sherlock’s “Holmes-Vision” in vivid detail, cleverly presented in this brawl. Before he strikes his first blow, the camera slows down and in voiceover and Holmes lays out his plan of attack beat by beat. After the wonderfully glossy slo-mo, the fight is played out in real-time and it’s enjoyable to see him take down a larger opponent in such a swift fashion.
After Lord Blackwood’s execution and burial, a gravedigger witnesses him exit his coffin and the local police are called. While chastising the incompetence of the local Scotland Yard Bobbie’s Sherlock proclaims, “they never miss an opportunity to miss an opportunity.” He’s most certainly smarter than your average bear but also lets people know. The surprisingly talented Rachel McAdams plays Irene Adler, Holmes’s occasional lover and nemesis. Adler has been employed by a mysterious man who’s intent on destroying the Empire’s greatest detective. While investigating the “resurrection,” the duo encounter large henchmen, hilarious set pieces, and an intriguing occult conspiracy.
For being eleven years old, the bold and stylish approach still looks great. The scenes are fantastically edited with perfectly placed camera angles and zooms displaying Ritchie firing on all cylinders. There’s no doubt that his approach has been hit or miss over the years but I’ll always quote his classic capers “Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels” and “Snatch.” The cinematography by Phillipe Rousselot captures Victorian London’s filth, it’s moody grey skies and stark architecture. I was surprised there never was a trilogy but stay tuned for my review of the sequel, “Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows.”
Now available on 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray
